1. Field of the Invention
The present invention addresses a new cover structure and design, that is useable for a variety of purposes, that is lightweight, that is easy to assemble and is shippable in compacted form. The present invention also addresses the method of creating these structures.
2. Description of the Related Art
The present application has a variety of possible uses and the following are just a few. It should be noted that the invention is not limited to these specific examples but can be used for multiple purposes.
Conventional pickup truck and trailer covers, containers and structures are typically built out of heavy, rigid construction materials and are bulky, difficult to ship and if designed to be knocked down, generally have complicated assembly processes utilizing a multitude of parts and fasteners. The present invention permits a large cover, container or structure to be created with as few as three parts including one cover, two matching arched end walls, or end walls, and a connector or fastener. This extremely simple, elegant design allows for this assembly to be shipped in a highly compact form due to the unique folding and rolling ability of the material used in the invention and the limited number of parts required for construction.
Additionally, portable, modular structures are becoming popular as temporary or semi-permanent storage facilities. Often it is desirable to store equipment, vehicles or other items in places where no permanent storage is available. However, most of these temporary structures are complex and not easily set up.
Another area where compact shippable containers are needed is for additional cargo space needed with cars, SUV's, RV's and vehicles in general. The ability of an enclosed container to be knocked down and shipped in a highly compacted form provides great value by reducing the shipping cost to customers. The ability to use UPS® or FEDEX® package delivery or any other economical package delivery service for a product instead of using an LTL Freight carrier for delivery not only saves the customer money, but greatly reduces the risk of shipping damage.
There presently is a need for a modular structure that may be configured in many different shapes and sizes and for many different purposes that is lightweight, easy to assemble and that knocks down for shipping and storage. The present disclosure has been made with the view to such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a light-weight, versatile, multi-sizeable, multi-configurable and collapsible modular structure that is easily assembled.